The Book List Continued..

Another two books to tick off the list this week. I will admit I am a bit behind, considering I only have three weeks before I go back to work; I'm not happy about it, but one of the books has been so annoying it's taken me ages to get through it.

An Area of Darkness by V.S. Naipaul

I quite liked this, though not on the same scale as the previous two books from my list. His descriptions of India are very evocative, and I liked the honesty of his struggle to reconcile his heritage with the country in front of him. It was a little difficult at times, mostly when he was writing about politics; though I guess that's more my problem than the author's as I do struggle to read about politics and stay awake sometimes. 

The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro

This was the annoying one. It's easily the worst book (in my opinion) that I've read for a long time, and if it wasn't on the list I would have shoved it back to languish on the shelf for another three years. As it is, the one good thing that's come out of this is that I can get rid of it now and never have to look at it again.

The narrative reads like a dream; but with none of the crazy fantastical things that happen in dreams, only the strange malleability that makes events seem fluid and constantly changeable, with the supporting characters acting strangely and illogically. For that reason alone, I found the book extremely annoying; if I wanted to experience a boring dream I would turn the light off and go to sleep. Another thing I found annoying was the protagonist’s lack of drive; he was always swept along by other events or characters, seemingly content to go along with what was happening and only occasionally showing mild annoyance if his plans were disrupted or he was inconvenienced. He wasn't a very likeable character at all. 

I am aware the book has received extremely mixed reviews, and despite the above I can certainly appreciate why some people consider it to be a great work of art; it is extremely innovative. I guess I just like my literature escapes from reality to follow the usual conventions. The ending was a complete anti-climax; in fact, very little happened throughout the book at all in terms of action or even an underlying message. I suppose for me, it felt like a really boring Alice in Wonderland.

Hopefully the next books I read will be more enjoyable than The Unconsoled. I'm quite disappointed I didn't like it, because I loved Never Let Me Go so much. Oh well, onwards and upwards!

The Return of Topshop

I do try to be hip, trendy and down with the kids. I really do. But over the last couple of years, I have been getting worried. Topshop, that superstar hip and happening compass of cool, has held no appeal for me. Honestly, sometimes I’ve looked at the things they’ve had in the last couple of years and genuinely wondered about the sanity of the people who bought certain items. Am I getting too old for it? What hope is there for me, if I can’t find anything I like in Topshop? I was considering switching its space in my bookmarks folder for Marks & Spencer instead (just going with the stereotype here).

But relief, sweet relief! I’ve been browsing the new season stock, and I’m quite impressed. For the first time in what seems like years, there are several wearable pieces, with realistic skirt lengths and not-too-out-there prints and designs. There is a definite feminine streak running through the collection, and I’m seriously thinking about buying a few pieces from there over the next few months. The prices can still be ridiculous (thirty-something quid for a simple blouse? I know I’m a cheapskate, but personally I don’t think the quality matches that price), but overall I’m quite impressed. I have compiled a little pictorial of my favourite pieces below; I’m now trying to whittle it down even further, as I don’t think my budget can stretch to everything somehow!  

Left-right from top:

Short Sleeve Sailor Blouse, £32

Button Detail Dress, £65 

Knitted Lace Front Jumper, £38

Pleated Skater Skirt, £30 

Stripe Full Circle Skirt, £38

Lady Bow Bag, £25 

Red Rose Flippy Tunic, £26 

Contrast Collar Playsuit, £46 

50's Full Spot Skirt, £32 (I only want this because Zooey Deschanel wore a similar one in an episode of New Girl...)

Lace Racer Skirted Dress, £48

Mustard Belted Lace Dress, £45

Hatty 2 Bow Sandal, £24

nice things

♥ this cardigan. It's comfy, slouchy, pink and sparkly. I got it from Primark a few months ago, and I adore it. I feel super-cosy in it, and it's my failsafe go-to option whenever I can't be bothered getting dressed properly (which happens more often than I like to admit, with me being off work currently), paired with leggings and a plain vest top. 

♥ sloe gin. I made a huge batch of this for the first time last year, to give to people as Christmas gifts. I totally forgot to take any pictures before the bottles were packed off to their various recipients, but I am pleased to report it tasted utterly yummy; I made so much there was plenty left over for me too! I followed this recipe; it's quite simple even though you have to make it ages in advance, and it tasted lovely served nice and cold with some tonic. If I can get hold of some sloe berries this autumn I will probably make some again, though I might add more fruit to the above recipe as I feel it could have done with a bit more fruitiness.

♥ my new red hair. Okay, it's not so new, it's 11 days old now, but this is a big deal to me guys. Five or six years ago, I would have scoffed at the thought of me dying my hair any colour; it was all about 'loving your natural beauty and hair colour' etc etc. Somewhere along the line, though, my feelings changed and I got off my high horse (I've probably found other high horses to climb on since then though), deciding that in the great scheme of things dyeing one's hair was hardly in the plain disturbing realms of labiaplasty. I still tred cautiously though, and played it safe with blonde highlights. Until my break-up/super-life-makeover happened, and then of course dyeing my hair bright pink seemed like a logical step to take. Fortunately I have a permanent sensible voice in the back of my head that I nearly always listen to, so I didn't go down the bright pink route (but only because I didn't want to faff around with bleach....) - but instead, here I am with red hair! I love it so much, I actually wish I'd taken the plunge sooner.

♥ my new tattoo. I am aware I dedicated a whole post to it already, but seriously, it's so awesome one post alone can't describe the scale of how fantastic it is and how much I love it. No really. It's amazing. In the interests of avoiding complete and total repetitiveness, I have at least shared a newer picture of it. The colours have faded slightly and it looks and feels more 'part of me' than it did at first. It's starting to look a bit scaly at the top, and I reckon in the next day or two it will start scabbing over. Lovely....

An Afternoon in Haworth + What I Wore

A brief drive out to Haworth today, birthplace of the Bronte sisters and the setting for all my Wuthering Heights-esque fantasies. I'm pretty sure I would be shot for admitting this as a relative local (I live 5 miles away), but for all its touristy clichéd-ness, I do actually like Haworth a lot. It's super-pretty, has gorgeous wild countryside all around, and has plenty of cute little shops - and, of course, a sense of history. 

I took both my digital camera and my Diana with me, photography poseur that I am, with the intention of wandering down the main street and taking some pictures. Unfortunately, the heavens decided to open the minute I stepped out of my car, and Haworth itself was practically dead, and only a handful of shops were open. Who knew that Haworthians (I just made that term up) have Christmas holidays that last until the 13th of January? So, I only took a few small snapshots on my phone in the end.

 

A fantastic second-hand bookshop crammed with books on all sorts of categories. This shop would have been absolute agony for me, on my no-book-buying kick, but I didn't have any money on me anyway so temptation was removed, thankfully. Though they did have a beautiful encyclopedia on horses from the 1950's which was beautiful, and I'm tempted to go back and get it - I've decided I'm allowed to buy non-fiction still!

On to a cafe for hot chocolate with a book from my reading list (The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro); pretty items in the only vintage shop that was open; the main street in Haworth.

striped body: George at Asda // cardigan: H&M // belt: Next // skirt: Boohoo // bag: H&M // right shoe: can't remember! A cheap and tacky shoe shop I think

I wore this belt for the first time today, which I feel a bit bad about because it was a birthday present from my parents and I'd wanted to make use of it sooner than I have. As I mentioned when I got it, I wasn't quite sure how to wear it; it's so precious I wanted an outfit to show it off. Don't think I quite managed it here but it's a start. I think I need to maybe wear one plain colour with it, for example a plain black dress. I just don't like wearing plain colours!

Got Ink? (Or, A Story of Permanence)

On Friday I did something I've been planning on doing for several months, and got tattooed. Two, to be precise. I know that, despite their increasing prevalence in mainstream society, many people are quite averse to tattoos, sometimes only because of the pain of having them done. Others are reluctant because of the permanence of the image and they hesitate to make such a commitment. 

 My latest tattoo, taken straight after it being finished. My arm is shiny because the tattooist covered it in Vaseline, I do not gleam like that naturally!

I, on the other hand, adore them. Don't get me wrong, I don't like all tattoos indiscriminately, nor do I like them for the sake of it being 'unconventional' or because it looks 'hard'. No, for me I admire the beauty in tattoos; what could be more beautiful than having a work of art on your own body, to carry with you wherever you go at all times? Yes, it's a work of art that can't be removed (most of the time), but it's a commitment I, at least, am prepared to make. We can never know whether what we do now will be regretted by our future selves, but on balance I think I'd rather make the jump for something beautiful now and risk getting bored of it, than look back on the past and wish I'd been brave enough.

While I can't speak from a huge amount of experience, having only had my first tattoo done in 2009, I do think that the reason behind the individual tattoo can be a factor in whether you tire of the tattoo or not. Both of my tattoos were done to mark different points of my life; not necessarily in celebration or mourning, but simply to acknowledge a change and to act as a pin against that part of the drawing board of my life. When I look at the first tattoo I had done, I am reminded of the things I was doing and thinking at that time, the changes I was going through and the meaning the image in particular had for me.

None of my tattoos (well, except a really teeny-tiny one I've just had done) have been done on a whim, and the images themselves had been pondered over and doodled for some time - with my first one, there was a period of two years between the initial sketch and actually getting it done! So I have had plenty of time to think about how much I want the tattoo, how it will look, and where I will have  it.

the teeny-tiny tattoo, on the back of my neck. Excuse the blurriness, it really is rather tiny.

Of course, it does also help to have an extremely experienced and talented tattoo artist! I would never have a tattoo done by someone I didn't trust nor have faith in the quality of their work. It's also important to go to someone with whom you feel able to discuss any tweaks or minor changes you want to the image. I think the process is a little similar to having your haircut, but on a larger scale; you're putting your trust in a (usually) complete stranger to make a potentially-quite-severe alteration to your physical exterior, and if that person is not approachable or not listening to your suggestions, then it might be better to find someone else who does.

My first tattoo; picture taken a few hours after having it done, in June 2009

Unfortunately, you can love an image all you want, there's no getting away from the fact that having a tattoo will 100% definitely HURT. How much it hurts depends on your individual tolerance/pain threshold, and I guess how good you are at distracting yourself from it. I find the black outline to be less painful than any colouring in/shading; I would say it actually feels very similar to epilating your legs, for anyone out there who is bothered enough (me included!) to have done such a thing. It's also quite an easy kind of pain to distract yourself from; for example, by focusing on your breathing, making light conversation (if the tattooist isn't concentrating too hard!), or finding something nice to look at in the vicinity. I have even found that it actually feels less painful when I can actually watch the tattoo being done - but that's just me, and I already know I'm quite weird so don't blame me if that particular tip doesn't work for you.

I thought that the tattoo I've just had done would sate my appetite, and the pain immediately afterwards did that job quite well. Now it's starting to heal though, there are little thoughts and voices in the back of my mind...... So, the questions now are, what to have next, and where?